Offensive or Effective?

Most find it offensive.

Hey folks,

What say you? Are you offended? Are you overweight? Do you get PETA's point?

Hi, my name is Peter. I'm the Husband of a Vegetarian, and a former card carrying member of PETA. Until she learned that PETA put down, that would be KILLED for those who need a little further help in understanding, 95 percent of their ADOPTABLE animals. She read this.

Since 1998 more than 20,000 pets handed to PETA have been put down.

In 2008 official figures show that the charity put down 2,124 animals that had been given to them.

Figures obtained from the Virginia Department of Agriculture reveal that last year PETA killed five pets a day.

The charity, which collects over £25m in donations, does not run an adoption shelter.

But as the most high profile animal welfare agency in the US many people take unwanted cats and dogs to their main offices in Norfolk, Virginia.

Well, needless to say, she was not all that impressed. So she is no longer interested in what they have to say. Many others are doing the same thing. Now PETA has upset a whole new bunch of people. Fat people.

"Save the Whales - Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian."

The Obesity Society Calls Billboard Campaign Offensive and Off-Target

SILVER SPRING, Md., Aug. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Obesity Society strongly opposes the current billboard campaign from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) promoting vegetarianism at the expense of stigmatizing overweight and obese persons. The PETA billboard ad displays an image of an overweight woman in a bikini, with the text "Save the Whales - Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian." This ad is an unmistakable example of stigma and prejudice against individuals who are overweight and obese. The campaign is disrespectful and offensive, and is not an effective or appropriate way to encourage vegetarianism or healthy eating behaviors.

PETA purports to be an organization against cruelty, yet its ad campaign reeks of cruelty toward a segment of the population already vulnerable to stigma and discrimination. Not only is this billboard campaign hypocritical, but it undermines PETA's credibility. There is no reason for messages encouraging vegetarianism to be communicated in such a stigmatizing, harmful manner. The people that PETA hopes to target in this campaign are only left feeling humiliated, ashamed, and stigmatized, quite the opposite of effective or appropriate motivation for encouraging weight loss or healthy eating behaviors.

Research evidence demonstrates that weight stigma often leads to and may reinforce unhealthy eating behaviors. With two-thirds of Americans overweight or obese, this type of deliberate weight bias is unacceptable. Stigmatization of individuals who are struggling with their weight results in considerable suffering and impaired quality of life. The Obesity Society opposes weight bias and discrimination in all forms, and calls on PETA to remove the billboard and ensure that stigmatizing messages are absent from future campaigns.

The prevalence of weight discrimination in the United States has increased by 66 percent in the past decade, and is now on par with rates of racial discrimination. As the leading scientific organization on obesity, The Obesity Society is committed to increasing public awareness about weight bias and its negative consequences for those affected.

The Obesity Society (www.obesity.org) is the leading scientific organization dedicated to the study of obesity. The Obesity Society has been committed to encouraging research on the causes and treatment of obesity and is keeping the medical community and public informed of new advances. The Obesity Society's vision is to be the leader in understanding, preventing and treating obesity and in improving the lives of those affected. The Obesity Society's membership comprises more than 2000 basic and clinical researchers, who have published extensively, and care providers in obesity treatment and prevention.

SOURCE The Obesity Society

So what does my Wife think about this?


"Nasty and rotten. Sounds like something that you would hear in school. Extremely obscene and offensive."


Now this is coming from someone who once was 230 pounds at about 5'4" How did she lose the weight? She became a Vegetarian. She is currently 145 and still losing. She looks great. When I first met her, she was a buck 20. I had NO idea she was once heavy. Then came child birth and my bad influence, she gained back to about 160. Now, back to being a Vegetarian, she is losing weight again. She also enjoys Yoga.

So this is an opinion from someone who has been there. SHE finds this offensive.

"This is no way to encourage people to become a Vegetarian."

I couldn't agree more. I will never be. I enjoy steak, Chicken, Venison, and meat in general, WAY TO MUCH to give it up. But she is a perfect example that it CAN help with weight loss. However, ticking off the people you want to help is just a flat out stupid idea.
Peter